The Man in Love With Gems
by Dream of Californication
Summary: Steven has been off the grid, mining, trying to forget what he left behind. But he came back to Hoenn, not to challenge the girl that defeated him, the girl who ruined his career and life, but to see the boy that blessed him. *Just a taste of an idea I had. Implied yaoi. A tiny bit mature, albeit short and vague.* (No flames)


**Have you ever become so depressed, that you want to set fire to an intangible thing, and start anew?**

**Well, as I found out, you can't burn an account... so, I'm just going to type something to take my mind off of my readers, who are disappointed in me not updating. You know, the life of a shitty author.**

***Throws confetti***

**-D.O.C**

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**I do not own anything, but this plot.**

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Never, ever did he want to see him, again.

That sickening smile, those haunting eyes, the pale skin.

The wraith... the man who was dead to the world.

"Ah... Hello, Ruby."

The few seconds it took to respond were laced with Stealth Rocks. One blink, one breath, one minuscule movement... and your skin was shredded.

"Steven." The garnet-eyed boy averted his gaze.

"I really never saw you to be the kind of person like this," Steven Stone, the former Hoenn Champion, gave a devilish smirk, "greeting me with only my name... especially in such a venomous tone!"

"Well," The teen glanced at his friend, whose ultramarine eyes betrayed only contempt for the older male in their vicinity, "I thought you were off the grid. I haven't adjusted, yet."

"Hm... You had two years to adjust. Perhaps, next time, more lubrication would be wise?" The silver-haired man smiled, his exaggerated, pearly canines glinting like fangs.

The girl spoke up, then.

"Stone, we're in a dark, cold alley. Maybe we should head into the hotel, and finish this conversation, in there."

The man's grin faded, and he regarded the epitome of his downfall with a harsh glare.

Taking a final drag of his cigarette, he ground it out against the brick wall behind him, blowing a pretty curl of smoke in her face, nonchalantly.

"Sapphire, you are a genius." Sarcasm was thinly veiled under steel words, and Steven fished in his coat pocket, extracting a smooth rock.

He tossed it to Ruby, who looked at it in skepticism. "It's an Everstone. It's from the Unova region."

"We have Everstones here, you know." The teen pawed at the gift.

Steven's lips curled into a half-hearted smile. "Yes... but it's not about the function. It's about the journey."

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When they were inside, the lobby erupted in roars, and people swarmed Sapphire, begging for photos with her, perhaps an autograph.

A smaller crowd gathered around Steven, citizens eyeing him as if he was a lost, decaying piece of meat; one that they knew they'd thrown away, but were content to see it be punted back onto the floor at their feet.

He simply flicked his bangs, turquoise orbs grazing them with flat boredom, straying continuously to the young man at Sapphire's side.

"Ruby, Sapphire... we should really finish up our chat, sometime," He called out to the pair with faux-enthusiasm, "it was just great to see you, again!"

The brunette girl scoffed, and released her Blaziken to take photos with a few fans. "Whatever, Stone."

Ruby cleared his throat, and continued to avoid the older male's gaze.

Then, the inevitable came.

"Excuse me, Mr. Stone!" The teen's hearing picked up on a reporter.

"Yes, how may I help you, sir?"

"There have been many rumors floating around about your disappearance, and your sudden reappearance."

"... I am aware."

"Many of us at the Hoenn Register have heard that you ran away with a lover..."

"I am aware of that, as well." Steven's calm voice was now more towards a growl, than its customary purr.

"A younger, male lover." The nasal voice carried a disgusted edge to it, now.

"Let me get this straight: I left to pursue my work. I am far more comfortable in a dark cave, than in a metal room, awaiting my imminent defeat."

He continued, and Ruby's cheeks became red, "And, as for my romantic life, I left that back in Hoenn. My companion did not wish to accompany me, and we cut ties when I left for Johto."

Steven Stone smiled cordially, just as garnet eyes flashed upwards to assess his expression. "Now, friend. I have a meeting in the morning, and it would be best if I went up to my room. Auf wiedersehen!"

He slung his over-sized bag over his broad shoulder, and turned to the elevators, swinging the, seemingly, lead-filled sack with finesse and near-grace.

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He was a simple man.

A damp cave, a pickaxe, and a flashlight.

That were the only things he needed in life.

Of course, he also needed a bag to carry his treasures in.

Steven looked around his hotel room, frowning in distaste.

"So impersonal... It's depressing."

Unlatching his leather bag, he upturned the sack, and reveled in the pretty _**clacks**_ of the stones that tumbled out.

Kicking the rocks and chunks of ore around, he dispersed the large pile over the entirety of his hotel room's floor, smiling in approval at the comforting clutter of his work. He plopped down in the center, picking up a few and studying them.

There were a few common ones. Thin shards of obsidian, bits of shale, and some crumbling pieces made of soft sediments. Just some things to keep him entertained. He couldn't handle all of his rocks with bare hands, they were far too valuable to leave their cases, but he needed something to do.

He tossed them aside, picking up a crystalline green stone, with a creamy-yellow core, shaped like a bolt of lightning.

"I can't wait to cut some facets into you, and polish you up real nice!" He cooed, grinning at the uneven, fist-sized gem.

Sorting through an enormous scattering of uncut diamonds and sapphires, he made a mental calculation. He had run into a few seams of the jewels, earlier, and he was sure a few would make great gifts for friends, and the majority of the haul would turn some pretty coin for himself.

"Three Thunderstones."

"Two Waterstones. Three Leafstones."

"Four Moonstones, two Sunstones, three Duskstones, and one Dawnstone."

"Two Shinystones, and one Firestone."

"And... Two, four, six... Eight Everstones. Minus the one I gave Ruby. That's about thirty pounds, plus the diamonds, the sapphires, a couple decent emeralds, and the commonplace rocks. Not to mention the metal ores. All together," he paused, "fifty pounds?"

"Good haul, huh?"

That voice.

That sweet, innocent voice.

"Mmm, one of the best years I've ever had." Steven's voice developed a rasp, and he turned to see Ruby standing in the doorway of his room.

"Your door was unlocked." The teen walked forward, pulling a Firestone from the floor and running his hands over the rough surface. "Need any help cutting these?"

Suddenly, he was knocked against the wall, and the gem fell from his hands. "I would love some help."

Ruby gulped, but closed his eyes at the familiar, harsh handling. "I haven't helped you with anything for two years."

"Far too long, eh? Don't tell me that little girl replaced me, as company..."

"I'm a natural bottom," The eighteen year old expelled a breathy laugh, "there are some things that I'm not into-"

"Has she touched you?"

"No."

"_Good._"

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**Just a taste of an idea I had. Anyone like it?**

**You know, flames are just going to increase my Blaziken's Special Attack, so don't be surprised if your flames disappear...**

**-D.O.C**


End file.
